began to chew her own and reached for another to replace the one Edward was now
trying to spit out. Then he paused, his mouth working as his taste buds tasted.
"These are quite good," he said with surprise.
Elvi smiled around the cookie in her own mouth, and then offered the cookie box to
Mrs. Ricci.
"Can I try one?" Alessandro asked curiously, and then explained, "I haven't eaten for
fifty years, but you seem to enjoy it so much…"
"Fifty years!" Mrs. Ricci repeated with dismay. "Someone needs to feed you, son. You
come see me if you get hungry. I live across the street from Elvi and I always have
something cooking."
Elvi smiled and held the box out to Alessandro, her eyebrows rising when he, Harper,
and even Victor immediately reached in to take a cookie each. Seeing the envious
expression on Dawn's face, Elvi held the box out to her as well, bringing a smile to the
girl's face.
Having finished the half a cookie he'd got, Edward reached for another and frowned at
how few were left. "I think we should get more of these."
"Definitely," Harper said with a smile as he finished his own cookie. "These really are
quite good."
"Yes, they are," Mrs. Ricci said and moved to the table to collect a box of her own and
put it in her basket. She then wished them good evening before continuing on with her
own shopping.
The moment she was gone, the men moved to the table, each grabbing a couple of
boxes. Elvi grabbed another cookie from the open pack before setting it in the cart,
then moved happily back to the cake counter to survey the selection with greedy eyes.
Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, a Chocolate Bomb, Black Forest Cake, Lemon Supreme,
Cherry Surprise… They all looked good to her.
"So?" Alessandro followed and peered at the cakes with interest. "What is good here?"
"I can't decide!" Elvi admitted with dismay. She wanted them all, but couldn't possibly
eat it all and so thought choosing two or three would be better, but which two or
three?
"You said you wanted cheesecake," Victor reminded her. "Cheesecake, ice cream, and
chocolate."
"Yes, but that Caramel Crunch looks yummy too, and which chocolate one? The
Chocolate Bomb, the Black Forest cake, or the Fudge Surprise? And look at that carrot
cake. It's a masterpiece," she crooned.
Victor surveyed the cakes she'd pointed out with a frown, and then shrugged. "Take
them all."
" All of them?" she squeaked, torn between hope and horror at the glutinous thought.
"Why not? You have five years to make up for."
"Victor's right, and we will help you eat them," Harper announced. Stepping forward,
he picked up the cheesecake and handed it to Alessandro, then picked up the
Chocolate Bomb and Black Forest cake. Victor then picked up the Fudge Surprise and
Caramel Crunch.
Elvi surveyed the cakes that were left, then bit her lip and quickly picked up the Cherry
Supreme too.
"I like cherries," she said apologetically.
"Ice cream?" Victor asked.
"Oh, yes." Turning, she carefully set her cakes in the cart, and then led the way to the
frozen section, pausing abruptly as she passed an end aisle of Mexican food; tacos,
seasoning and so on. Elvi absolutely loved Mexican food. She had been cooking it and
around it for five years without being able to take even a lick. She stared at the end
aisle, her mind in a veritable swoon. She could make tacos, or chimichangas, or,
ohhhhhh, fajitas. She'd need steak… or maybe chicken. And tomatoes and onions and
cheese and—
"I believe we'll be needing another cart," Edward murmured and turned away to go
find one. Elvi hardly noticed his leaving, she was adjusting the grocery list in her head.
"I don't think there is enough room for everything," Alessandro announced with a
frown as Edward opened the trunk of the BMW.
"We can put some in the backseat with us, and maybe the front seat too," Elvi
suggested, lifting bags out of the first of their three carts. She knew she'd gone a little
overboard with the groceries, but really the men hadn't been any help at all,
encouraging her as if they were on the Devil's payroll, sent to tempt her into
committing the third of the seven deadly sins: gluttony.
Anytime Elvi had debated over two items, they'd simply taken both from her and put
them in the cart. And then they'd picked up an item or two themselves, things that
caught their eye or interest. Dawn had rung them through her till, her eyes wide the
whole time, and Elvi knew this story would be broadcast all over town by breakfast.
As would the fact that when the total had come up, Elvi had reached for her purse only